Multi-party session with Resilience Brokers, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission and UN-Habitat. Discussing data, tools and methodologies for implementing systems approach in cities, as well as proposing language on Earth observations to be included in the New Urban Agenda.

1. Earth Observations, Resilience
and the New Urban Agenda #WUF9
GEO Secretariat, Switzerland sramage@geosec.org
SASNet Fellow, Urban Big Data Centre, University of Glasgow, Scotland
Visiting Lecturer, ISE, University of Geneva, Switzerland
@steven_ramage

2. Session agenda
World Urban Forum, Malaysia Feb 2018
Speakers
Peter Head, Resilience Brokers
Steven Ramage, GEO
Martino Pesaresi, JRC
Robert Ndugwa, UN-Habitat
Contribution from UN-Habitat Youth
Desired outcomes
• Better understanding of
methodologies, tools & resources
for attendees
• Inclusion of language on Earth
observations in the New Urban Agenda

4. GEO IN NUMBERS

5. SPACE-BASED
OBSERVATIONS
IN SITU
OBSERVATIONS

6. COORDINATED GLOBALLY, REGIONALLY,
NATIONALLY & LOCALLY
COMPREHENSIVE ACROSS DOMAINS,
NETWORKS & PLATFORMS
SUSTAINED OVER TIME

9. GEO works across 8 Societal
Benefit Areas (SBAs) to find
solutions for global challenges.
Climate change and associated
impacts cut across all SBAs.

10. G E O W O R K P R O G R A M M E
2 0 1 7 - 2 0 1 9
7 0 + : F L A G S H I P S , I N I T I A T I V E S & C O M M U N I T Y A C T I V I T I E S
S C O R E S O F C O U N T R I E S
T H O U S A N D S O F C O L L A B O R A T O R S
H U N D R E D S O F M I L L I O N S I N V E S T E D
I M P A C T O N B I L L I O N S O F L I V E S

11. G E O W O R K P R O G R A M M E
I N I T I A T I V E S

12. G E O W O R K P R O G R A M M E
I N I T I A T I V E S

13. G E O W O R K P R O G R A M M E
F L A G S H I P S

15. Essential Biodiversity Variables are the derived
measurements required to study, report, and
manage biodiversity change, focusing on status
and trend in elements of biodiversity.
They provide the first level of abstraction
between low-level primary observations and
high-level indicators of biodiversity.
Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs)
What are they?

17. GEOGLAM is working
to fight food insecurity.
Using Earth observations, GEOGLAM reinforces
the international community’s capacity to produce
and disseminate relevant, timely and accurate
projections of agricultural production at national,
regional and global scales.

18. National Crop Monitors: Tanzania

21. Urban areas face specific challenges in
dealing with their water resources.
GEOGLOWS facilitates the use of Earth
observation assets to contribute to
mitigating water shortages, excesses
and degraded quality arising from
population growth, climate change and
industrial development.

22. Earth Observations can also be used to
enhance water sustainability, quality
and access, minimize flood and drought
risk, and much more.
GEOGLOWS is working to create a
framework to coordinate all freshwater
activities in the GEO Work Programme.

23. Cities around the world are
growing rapidly, putting their
wetland ecosystems at risk.
Healthy urban wetlands are vital for urban
environments. They help reduce flooding,
improve water supply and quality, filter
waste, improve air quality, promote well-
being, provide economic opportunities for
many, and more.

24. GEO-VENER contributes to the
availability of Earth observation
data for the effective development
and operation of renewable energy
systems.

25. Large-scale renewable energy use in
urban landscapes can improve
energy efficiency, reliability and
resilience, stabilize energy prices,
create jobs and other economic
benefits, improve air quality and
human health, and contribute
significantly to global climate action
efforts and the achievement of the
Sustainable Development Goals.

26. High resolution Urban solar cadaster for high PV integration
https://nantes-metropole.insunwetrust.solar

27. G E O E N G A G E M E N T P R I O R I T I E S

29. Climate Change
Responding to the Paris Agreement
Article 4 and Article 13 – National Reporting
• Reported five-yearly by parties, successive reductions in emissions
• Using existing methods and guidance; not validation
Article 5 Mitigation
• Knowledge of evolution of sinks and sources
Article 7 Adaptation
• (7.6) Strengthening cooperation,
• (7.7c) Research, systematic observation
Article 10 Technology Transfer
& Article 11 Capacity Development
Article 14 Global stocktaking
• in the light of equity and the best available science: 2023, 2028…
Article 15 Compliance
GEO PB Action (Aug 2017):
Organise a workshop on the EO response to the Paris
Agreement

33. Positioning geospatial information to address global challenges
EO4SDG
INITIATIVE CO-CHAIRS
Eduardo De La Torre
Mexico/INEGI
Chu Ishida
Japan/JAXA
Lawrence Friedl
USA/NASA
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
Argyro Kavvada
USA/NASA-BAH

34. http://eo4sdg.org
Twitter: @EO4SDG
Indicators
6.6.1
11.3.1
15.3.1

35. Pilot project using EO to examine
SDG11, Indicator 11.3.1
Ratio of land consumption to
population growth
DANE developed a method that
incorporates freely available
Landsat images with population
data to investigate the relationship
between land consumption and
population growth in the
Barranquilla Metropolitan Area
(MA) in northern Colombia.
http://eo4sdg.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/4.-
Report_Pilot_Project_Colombia_v3-1.pdf
DANE Pilot Project (I)
National Administrative Department of Statistics in Colombia

36. Results showed consumption of
land in some areas sometimes
higher than population growth
The population could have been
consuming land needed for
agriculture and ecosystem services.
However, reverse was true in other
areas, potentially indicating more
efficient land use.
http://eo4sdg.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/4.-
Report_Pilot_Project_Colombia_v3-1.pdf
DANE Pilot Project (II)
National Administrative Department of Statistics in Colombia

37. Next steps
EO and statistical data to address
other aspects of SDG 11 Indicator
11.7.1 - Average share of the built-up
area of cities that is open space for
public use for all. Also use Earth
observations for informing the next
census.
Continue to work with EO4SDG and
GPSDD: Global Partnership for
Sustainable Development Data
http://eo4sdg.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/4.-
Report_Pilot_Project_Colombia_v3-1.pdf
DANE Pilot Project (III)
National Administrative Department of Statistics in Colombia

38. DANE Pilot Project (IV)
National Administrative Department of Statistics in Colombia
Additional next steps
Other agencies working with DANE, i.e.
IDEAM – Institute of Hydrology,
Meteorology and Environmental
Studies. (G)EO included in Colombian
national government policy.
EO4SDG continues to devise a work
plan to support EO data products and
tools to advance the tracking of, and
reporting on, the SDGs in Colombia
(and elsewhere).
http://eo4sdg.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/4.-
Report_Pilot_Project_Colombia_v3-1.pdf

39. This proposed GEO initiative will
work to improve the availability and
use of Earth observations to
monitor land use change in support
of sustainable land management
practices, for the benefit of all.
GEO Land Degradation Neutrality
Proposed GEO Work Programme Initiative

40. GEO Land Degradation Neutrality
GEO is partnering with UNCCD to help
countries develop the capacity to monitor
and report on SDG 15.3.1: “proportion of
land that is degraded over total land area”
Earth Observations
for Land Degradation
Proposed GEO Work Programme Initiative

41. The GEO Land Degradation Neutrality
Initiative will interact other initiatives in the
GEO Work Programme, including GEOBON
(biodiversity), GEOGLAM (agriculture), GFOI
(forests), and EO4SDG (SDGs).
Building on Experience
Contributing to Successes
GEO Land Degradation Neutrality
Proposed GEO Work Programme Initiative

42. GEO Member Countries and Participating
Organizations can participate and provide
expertise on developing necessary SDG
indicator standards, including land cover,
land productivity and carbon stocks.
The GEO Secretariat will also contribute to
the governance arrangements for the
Initiative in early 2018.
GEO’s Contribution
GEO Land Degradation Neutrality
Proposed GEO Work Programme Initiative

43. WEBINAR TRAINING
Remote Sensing of Land
Indicators for SDG 15: 15.1.1 &
15.3.1
June 20-22, 2017; English
Course Material in English & Spanish
Three-session training:
Satellite observations of land cover;
image classification, change detection,
and techniques for developing
accuracy assessments.
Satellites & sensors: Landsat, MODIS,
Sentinel 3, Suomi NPP/VIIRS
IN PERSON TRAINING
Satellite Observations of
Water Quality for SDG 6: 6.3.2
October 24, 2017; English
16:30-19:30; Hemisphere B
Three-hour training:
Satellite observations for monitoring of
harmful algal blooms, sediments, and
other water pollutants.
Hands-on Exercises: Acquiring
Satellite-Based Water Quality Data for
SDG Indicator 6.3.2
Agenda 2030
EO Case Studies
GEO is instrumental in integrating Earth observation data into the methodology of measuring,
monitoring and achieving the SDG Indicators.
Brochure gives graphic illustrations of EO data allowing decision-makers to help identify the
status of conditions they need to report, as well as visualize solutions.
https://www.earthobservations.org/documents/publications/2017
03_geo_eo_for_2030_agenda.pdf

44. G E O R E G I O N A L I N I T I A T I V E S

45. P R I V A T E S E C T O R E S S E N T I A L

46. OPEN DATA FOR THE
BENEFIT OF HUMANKIND